I feel like I'm having a crisis.

[veggiehead]

I don't know where to start.. Sooo I am currently about to finish my 5th semester at a community college. At the beginning of college I didn't really know what I wanted to do or felt extremely motivated to do well in school so I took my basic GE's and got Cs on almost everything. Last year I finally took classes that I loved, which were biology and psychology, and decided I wanted to go to med school. I had my heart set on it, it seriously became my dream and i had never felt so motivated in my life. So i took precalc and chemistry and some other classes. RECALC KICKED MY BUTT. During the first few semesters in college i hadn't really studied or worked hard but once I realized how hard that class was i started going to study groups and tutoring. Its still didnt pay off. I was stressed because i couldn't figure out why i wasn't seeing results since i was putting the time in. I don't take failure well at all so i was miserable with myself. I was so stressed that when i went to talk to my professor, i cried in front of him. i couldn't help it..im a cryer. So anyway I realized that I needed to participate more during lecture and study differently to do better in that class. I retook the class again this semester. I AM STILL DOING BAD. I talked to my professor again and he recommended i get tested for learning disabilities. I got tested and came out fine. So then he said I needed to study harder problems instead of simple ones like the ones we did in class. I dropped the class though because even if I got a C in the class it would ruin my gpa which is already low(2.5). On top of this set back, I have a C in chemistry and its driving me crazy. I completely blanked out on an exam even when I had gotten an A+ on the quiz two days before my exam. I cried so much and called my mother. I took another exam yesterday and it felt like so much material that i couldn't remember how to solve everything. This one was actually my fault though because I skipped lecture a few times to finish lab reports and my studying didn't compensate for the lectures I missed. So i cried, a lot, and called my mother and she said that this wasn't my strong suite and that i should rethink my major/career choice because i was going to be miserable following this path. So i cried some more and now i feel completely lost and i have so many questions like:
ARE SOME PEOPLE JUST CUT OUT FOR MED SCHOOL?

IF IM ALREADY STRESSED OUT NOW, CAN I HANDLE MEDICAL SCHOOL?

WILL I BE MISERABLE IF I KEEP GOING THIS PATH?

IF IM BAD AT MATH AND CHEM NOW, CAN I GET BETTER?OR WILL I ALWAYS STRUGGLE..

I just can't shake off wanting to become a physician. I want to learn everything about the body and disorders and disabilities and surgeries and medical drugs and research.

I did some thinking and the only career i found that i could love was clinical psychology or neuropsychology. But that would still require many science courses and math so its basically the same as being premed while in undergrad and I still always go back to medicine.
I just don't know anymore. I feel lost and confused. Im so ashamed of my gpa. i can't stop thinking about my grades or what courses to take.


I know this is long but if you take the time to reply i really appreciate it!


EDIT: WOW GUYS thanks so much for replying!! seriously, this helped a ton.

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[arc5005]

Disclaimer: I'm going to treat this like a serious post.

First you need to relax. Second, forget about the bad grades in the past during the times you didn't try. You can do grade replacement and fix those. What you should be focusing on is, why you are doing poorly in classes even when you are trying. Perhaps you should get tested for learning disabilities and see if you need the extra help and time allotted for tests that individuals with learning disabilities receive. However, I'm going to say this in a nice way, chemistry I & precalc are probably two of the easier classes you will come across in your journey. If you are struggling with precalc and chemistry, then I'm not entirely sure you'll be prepared for the more difficult classes such as physics & organic chemistry.

Why are you struggling in these classes? Is it time management? studying habits? anxiety? nervous test taking? bad test taker?

Edit: Also what made you decide on medicine? there are plenty of good jobs using biology or psychology. Have you spoken with or shadowed any physicians yet?

 

[ProspectiveKidd]

Something my primary care doctor told me when I first told him I wanted to be a doctor, was that doctors are not born, they are created. In high school you work a little harder than middle school, in college you work a little harder than high school, and in medical school it gets a little harder again. But you learn and build yourself, both academically and personally. By the time medical school comes along, you'll be ready.

You'll look back on this post and laugh at how far you've come. Just stay focused now that you know what you want to do. Its all you can do from this point on.

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

Only you can decide if this is the career path you want to pursue. It sounds like you're high-strung and neurotic and overly sensitive, in which case, I can completely empathize with you. However, you have to brush those tears aside and do some hard soul-searching. Really reflect on what you want from your life, and whether this is it. If it is, then you need to examine how you can best succeed. Crying is cathartic but it doesn't solve the problem.

Medicine is all about problem-solving.

Don't give up unless you are sure you are not going to regret trying harder, getting a tutor, seeing a therapist (maybe you have ADHD or even dyslexia), learning better study habits and time management skills, etc, etc.

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

Also - I'm taking Basic Chemistry - not General Chemisty 1 and Pre-Calculus next semester prior to starting my post-bacc program at a 4 year university this summer.

I tested into Pre-Calc after having not taken a math class since high school over 15 years ago. I very well might drop and take Algebra first if that class is too difficult.

Have you considered taking Algebra and an introductory Chemistry class first? Even if those classes are too easy, they will build your GPA up and better prepare you for the harder ones you are currently struggling with.

 

[ProspectiveKidd]

Additionally, I dropped an intermediate algebra class this semester because it was too much for me to handle with my 4 other classes and job. It scared me to think that if i can't handle this now then what am I going to do in med school? I realized that I never took the time to conceptualize the material and so when variations of problems arose I struggled. This may not be your case but pay attention to these sorts of things in terms of study habits and learning methods. I know I will be successful next time.

Consider the positive feedback between belief and behavior. You're simply not as likely to succeed if you convince yourself you're going to fail.

 

[IslandStyle808]

This is definitely up my alley.

I was also a struggling student in undergrad (B/B- average). It was somewhat worse in my graduate degree. My graduate advisor told me to see a learning specialist and also a psychologist. After seeing both, my grades just skyrocketed. My masters grades were all A's afterward and my post-bacc grades (after my masters) were almost all A's. Even now I am looking up techniques to further be better at exams, some of which even my learning specialist doesn't know.

A tutor is not enough in your case, you need to figure out how to learn. This can only be done with a learning specialist/counselor. I would also suggest the psychologist as well to learn how to deal with text anxiety, stress, and time management.

It's not about studying harder, it is about studying smarter!

 

[ProspectiveKidd]

This is definitely up my alley.

I was also a struggling student in undergrad (B/B- average). It was somewhat worse in my graduate degree. My graduate advisor told me to see a learning specialist and also a psychologist. After seeing both, my grades just skyrocketed. My masters grades were all A's afterward and my post-bacc grades (after my masters) were almost all A's.

A tutor is not enough in your case, you need to figure out how to learn. This can only be done with a learning specialist/counselor. I would also suggest the psychologist as well to learn how to deal with text anxiety and time management.

It's not about studying harder, it is about studying smarter!

Please elaborate on the learning specialist and some things you did to improve your grades

 

[IslandStyle808]

Please elaborate on the learning specialist and some things you did to improve your grades

Don't think of the learning specialist like a tutor. They are more basic than that. We try to explore techniques that work and don't work. For instance, I was a visual and tactile learning. This meant I learned best by looking at pictures and physically doing things. So I would try techniques that cater to my strengths. For instance if I wanted to map out B cell activation from a dendritic cell, I would draw a flow chart. I would make note of each step dendritic cell --> macrophage --> T cell --> B cell (and draw pictures too). I would go through this trial and error to find methods that worked.

In some of my classes, I would even make charts of the information. For instance in my parasitology class, I would write each bug and make a comparison and contrast of symptoms, incubation period, pathophys., treatments, preventative measures, etc. This made it much easier to know the important stuff to remember and disregard the unimportant stuff.

This is pretty much what I gained with my session with her. However, in the end, she still hounded the importance of proper studying. This means pre-reading before classes, taking notes during classes, and reading after classes. If you are having a hard time with a chapter, get a over view of it. This means reading the chapter summary and looking at the titles before you read. You would be surprised how much easier studying gets by doing the general stuff. However, you will also understand what your best study skills are also. Maybe you are an auditory learning and you learn best by making a rap out of the krebs cycle. It is mainly what best works for you.

 

[arc5005]

Don't think of the learning specialist like a tutor. They are more basic than that. We try to explore techniques that work and don't work. For instance, I was a visual and tactile learning. This meant I learned best by looking at pictures and physically doing things. So I would try techniques that cater to my strengths. For instance if I wanted to map out B cell activation from a dendritic cell, I would draw a flow chart. I would make note of each step dendritic cell --> macrophage --> T cell --> B cell (and draw pictures too). I would go through this trial and error to find methods that worked.

In some of my classes, I would even make charts of the information. For instance in my parasitology class, I would write each bug and make a comparison and contrast of symptoms, incubation period, pathophys., treatments, preventative measures, etc. This made it much easier to know the important stuff to remember and disregard the unimportant stuff.

This is pretty much what I gained with my session with her. However, in the end, she still hounded the importance of proper studying. This means pre-reading before classes, taking notes during classes, and reading after classes. If you are having a hard time with a chapter, get a over view of it. This means reading the chapter summary and looking at the titles before you read. You would be surprised how much easier studying gets by doing the general stuff. However, you will also understand what your best study skills are also. Maybe you are an auditory learning and you learn best by making a rap out of the krebs cycle. It is mainly what best works for you.

do you feel like you have to study more than other people? this seems like an insane amount to do well in a class?

 

[IslandStyle808]

do you feel like you have to study more than other people? this seems like an insane amount to do well in a class?

Unfortunately, I am not as smart as other people. So the usual methods of reading and repetition don't benefit me as much. However, the good part is that I need less repetitions to solidify the info. I remember trying to go over the material five times and not being able to remember certain details (passive reading). With the new methods, it does take time to initially set up the diagram or chart. However, the information is more organized and I can go through details more quickly (I would need 2-3 repetition to get the same or even better result).

For instance, instead of me looking through the horde of pages (30-40 pages of power points, around 250 slides) to compare the prevention measures of several parasites. I have my chart and I can find this knowledge much more quickly and even know which are similar and which are different. So I sacrifice speed in some areas, but make it back in others. Even if I don't make up the time, I retain better because of organization of the details.

This doesn't mean I use the same technique in all classes, but I always analyze them after every exam. I will change them, even if the result is an A-. My methods have actually reduced the amount of time I need to study a bit and I retain better.

 

[yanks26dmb]

OP I failed health 101 along with half a dozen other classes when I was early in college. I'm now in my first year of med school and ranked towards the top of my class. Things/you can change. Chill out and focus...sooner or later you'll get things right with yourself. It just takes longer for some people....but as long as you don't give up you'll (likely) make it eventually.

 

[veggiehead]

Disclaimer: I'm going to treat this like a serious post.

First you need to relax. Second, forget about the bad grades in the past during the times you didn't try. You can do grade replacement and fix those. What you should be focusing on is, why you are doing poorly in classes even when you are trying. Perhaps you should get tested for learning disabilities and see if you need the extra help and time allotted for tests that individuals with learning disabilities receive. However, I'm going to say this in a nice way, chemistry I & precalc are probably two of the easier classes you will come across in your journey. If you are struggling with precalc and chemistry, then I'm not entirely sure you'll be prepared for the more difficult classes such as physics & organic chemistry.

Why are you struggling in these classes? Is it time management? studying habits? anxiety? nervous test taking? bad test taker?

Edit: Also what made you decide on medicine? there are plenty of good jobs using biology or psychology. Have you spoken with or shadowed any physicians yet?

Well I got tested for learning disabilities but came out fine. I think its knowing how to study and participating more during lectures. Organization is also a huge problem for me so i think that might be it. i am definitely a bad test taker though! I gotta learn techniques to improve my test taking game.
I want to be a physician because i want to learn everything i can about the body, diseases, disorders, and i want to keep learning about this stuff for as long as i can. I know there are other jobs that also deal with biology and psychology but i always go back to medicine in the end. i have spoken with physicians and I volunteer in a hospital too but i haven't done any shadowing.

 

[veggiehead]

This is definitely up my alley.

I was also a struggling student in undergrad (B/B- average). It was somewhat worse in my graduate degree. My graduate advisor told me to see a learning specialist and also a psychologist. After seeing both, my grades just skyrocketed. My masters grades were all A's afterward and my post-bacc grades (after my masters) were almost all A's. Even now I am looking up techniques to further be better at exams, some of which even my learning specialist doesn't know.

A tutor is not enough in your case, you need to figure out how to learn. This can only be done with a learning specialist/counselor. I would also suggest the psychologist as well to learn how to deal with text anxiety, stress, and time management.

It's not about studying harder, it is about studying smarter!

HEY! thanks so much about suggesting the learning specialist and the different ways you study! this helped more than you think

 

[Giovanotto]

Unfortunately, I am not as smart as other people. So the usual methods of reading and repetition don't benefit me as much. However, the good part is that I need less repetitions to solidify the info. I remember trying to go over the material five times and not being able to remember certain details (passive reading). With the new methods, it does take time to initially set up the diagram or chart. However, the information is more organized and I can go through details more quickly (I would need 2-3 repetition to get the same or even better result).

For instance, instead of me looking through the horde of pages (30-40 pages of power points, around 250 slides) to compare the prevention measures of several parasites. I have my chart and I can find this knowledge much more quickly and even know which are similar and which are different. So I sacrifice speed in some areas, but make it back in others. Even if I don't make up the time, I retain better because of organization of the details.

This doesn't mean I use the same technique in all classes, but I always analyze them after every exam. I will change them, even if the result is an A-. My methods have actually reduced the amount of time I need to study a bit and I retain better.

I'm very similar. Thanks for sharing.

 

[IslandStyle808]

HEY! thanks so much about suggesting the learning specialist and the different ways you study! this helped more than you think

Glad it did. And these are not my only techniques . I would highly suggest seeking a psychologist also. They will help with the issues of test stress and anxiety. One thing they will always tell you before or during the exam "breath in and out deeply." It has a really strong calming effect. You'd be surprised how something so simple is so powerful.

 

[darknecrosforte]

"Advanced Learning and Teaching Technologies" - Eben Pagan.
Download it.
Play it at 1.5x speed.
Profit.

I suggest this for everyone who has spare time.